A week on from the most talked-about Oscars in years if not ever, Drag Idol Newcastle went to the movies on Sunday night with the class of 2017 hoping to be a box office smash.

And just like a blockbuster movie, week three had everything - award winning performances, ones that could have done with a second take, some controversy and a dramatic twist right at the death.

For me the first two weeks of this year’s contest, other than a handful of standout performances, were a bit too forgettable. Even week one, synonymous with being an absolute barrel of laughs year after year, was a damp squib so with less than a month until the grand finale at Boulevard the pressure was on for the competition’s leading ladies to step up to the plate.

And after their best in show star turn for Fierce and Fabulous week, it was once again this year’s surprise package Cheap as Chips who were head and shoulders above the rest.

After entering Drag Idol as a bit of a joke, the two Switch bartenders have quickly established themselves as the act that everyone wants to see. Fresh from their Miley Cyrus tribute on week 2, the dynamic duo delivered what was, for me, one of the best routines ever performed in the history of the competition.

Taking the theme and the whole La La Land/Moonlight Best Picture debacle by the scruff of the neck, Cheap as Chips wowed with a medley of nods to Titanic, Jurassic Park and Dirty Dancing, complete with THAT car scene, a dinosaur costume and THE lift.

Make no mistake about it, Cheap as Chips are the ones to beat in 2017.

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Now if Cheap as Chips won Best Picture, my pick for Best Supporting Actress would be Mary Jane Holland. My most improved of the competition so far, Mary continued where she left off with her well thought out Vogue routine in week 2 with a weird and wonderful ode to gruesome flick Human Centipede against a soundtrack of Britney Spears’ 3.

Controversial? Perhaps. Entertaining? Most definitely!

Mary Jane Holland (Image: LAH Photography)

Speaking of improvement, fire dancer Kitana became flame haired orphan Annie before a great costume change and segway into a full on glamour puss for a mightily impressive finale that deservedly gained some great feedback from the judges and a very favourable reaction from the always vocal punters.

While not quite on a par with their standing ovation-earning Beauty & the Beast from a week earlier, the always entertaining Dragon & the Whale once again threw the kitchen sink at the latest theme with a packed Death Becomes Her inspired turn that even included a battle to the sounds of Ace of Spades.

Just like Cheap as Chips, Plop and Danni should be in the mix right till the end.

After a week one performance that was neither here nor there, 2016’s guilty pleasure Sapphire Blue proved exactly why she was a favourite 12 months ago with a hilarious, revealing and unashamedly camp mime to Does Your Mother Know.

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If she can keep on an upwards trend she might well make the final cut this time around.

Requiring just a touch more movie star sparkle, Elle Uminati and Rachel Rear found themselves in the middle of the pack with their respective Hairspray and Sister Act routines. Once again they both looked absolutely fabulous but could have done with giving it just a bit more razzle dazzle.

The same could be said for Wendy Towers. While week-in week-out she has near perfect poise and looks absolutely stunning, her performances have been lacking a je ne sais quoi which has hindered her chances of making a real connection with the judges and her audience. There have been glimmers of some sass in her banter with the judges and that now needs to be channelled into her performances. Once that clicks she should be a real contender.

Vee Savvi (Image: LAH Photography)

She was in this week’s bottom two along with Vee Savvi who was given the boot before a chorus of boos from the baying crowd prompted her to be brought straight back in.

I would have to say rightly so, as after two impressive performances in weeks one and two she deserves another chance.

With the threat of at least two queens getting the chop this weekend it’s anyone’s guess as to who will be de-throned.

The week four theme is Hallow-Queen and the action gets going at 9.45pm in Switch on Sunday.